How to navigate this classic Donald Ross design element
One of the more difficult design elements you'll encounter on a Donald Ross course are the greens. Here's a drill to help you navigate them
As the 2026 PGA Championship plays out at Aronomink, we’ll be watching the best players in the world take on a classic Donald Ross design. Like many Ross courses, Aronomink features crowned—also known as turtleback—greens. These greens, whose highest points are in the center, can be difficult to navigate.
Because of the design, the ball runs away from the center of the green, towards the perimeter. This can make chipping it close difficult. If you find yourself on a Ross course, here are a few things you can do to successfully handle those tricky greens.
“Turtleback greens place a premium on distance control,” Sara Dickson, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher out of Wilderness C. C. in Florida, says.
“Because the edges of these greens tend to slope away, a chip that comes up just short may roll back toward you, while one that carries too far may run off the other side. Around these greens, success is often less about hitting a perfect-looking shot and more about controlling how far the ball travels. ” Dickson recommends what she calls "The Goldilocks Drill" to train distance control.